Bute Estate ‘keen to help island farmers’

Craig Borland

The Bute Estate’s factor says the organisation is keen to look at ways of helping its tenant farmers amid growing concern at the future for agriculture on the island.

Bob Baines echoed the view of farmers and industry experts that many of the island’s farmers were likely to see a significant cut in EU subsidies as a result of reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Mr Baines said the Estate - landlord to the vast majority of farmers on Bute - had met local farms’ share of the cost of a Whole Farm Review of each farm business, and that it had also commissioned a report on the value of the dairy sector, currently under fierce pressure as a result of falling milk prices, to agriculture on Bute and the wider island economy.

“The Bute Estate is very keen to make sure it supports the island’s tenant farmers,” he said, “but it can’t run their businesses for them, and nor would it seek to do so.”